Improving Business in the Wilmington Region

County-Owned Park Gets Industrial Infrastructure – and a New Name

New Hanover County’s Holly Shelter Business Park has been renamed to the I-40 Coastal Commerce Park and is set to get its first infrastructure in the coming months.

The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a $6.5 million infrastructure construction contract and renaming earlier this summer. Once developed, the 300-acre master-planned industrial park is expected to accommodate more than three million square-feet of industrial space.

In May 2023, the county approved a development agreement with Sidbury Land & Property Company to establish a business park along Holly Shelter Road. The firm then conveyed approximately 52 acres to the county, giving officials the option to purchase another 200 acres.
Wilmington Business Development’s involvement in the park dates to 2022, when New Hanover County looked to WBD to oversee a master study plan for the site. That work included due diligence, a conceptual master plan and preliminary cost estimates for developing the property. WBD also consulted with county staff on the I-40 Coastal Commerce Park name as the project moved from planning toward construction.

“The county will construct the initial public infrastructure to make the site ready for future development,” New Hanover County Engineer Akin Akinola says.

The first phase of development will include approximately 2,750 linear-feet of business park roadway, a water main and fire hydrants, along with a sanitary sewer pump station, sewer force main and gravity sewer. Other infrastructure will include a right-turn lane on Holly Shelter Road, along with associated drainage, utilities and traffic control improvements. “Completing this work establishes the backbone necessary to support development and positions the site for economic investment,” Akinola says. The infrastructure will take about 18 months to complete, he adds.

The Board of Commissioners unanimously approved renaming the park the “I-40 Coastal Commerce Park,” says Jennifer Rigby, the county’s chief strategy officer. The new name would emphasize the park’s proximity to I-40 and its location near the coast. “We are hoping to achieve space for our businesses to grow and expand here in New Hanover County,” Rigby says. “We’ve had great success with our Blue Clay Business Park, and this is another opportunity to provide locations for businesses to expand and grow.”